Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
We spoke with Joe Tsai and Sean Marks recently, Tsai exclusively by phone, Marks at the rookie press conference last month and read the comments of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment’s chief financial officer Peter Stern in an interview published this week with CFO Magazine. There are two takeaways: 1) they say all the right things about the Knicks accomplishments but they’re not changing their strategy, their trajectory, just because the team they share the city with won it all … in dramatic fashion and 2) there’s some hope that the championship has renewed New York’s interest not just in the Knicks but in the NBA in general. Tsai was succinct in his comments, saying yup, it’s “irating,” even “embarrassing,” in his words but nothing has changed in his thinking on the path the franchise has chosen. Are they whistling past the graveyard? As with a lot of things, starting in October, we shall find out.
Sean Marks, in answer to an ND question about the Knicks back on the day his team introduced its three draft picks, dismissed the possibility of having another team’s success change his thinking. (As more than one NBA watcher has noted, the team governor and GM have been like “peas in a pod” when it comes to strategy.) “No, not at all. I mean, we’re not, we’re not, we’re not going to be motivated or less motivated by what somebody else is doing,” Marks said. “I think we all we control is our path. I think we set out on this a couple of years ago, and I think I’m very happy with what the group has done, what Jordi (Fernandez), the coaching staff, have done to develop these young men, and it’s gonna be really exciting to see what they look like, and you know, whether it’s a year or two years from here, and who really seizes this opportunity?”
“I think we all know what Julius can do as a player,” Marks said. “There's a chip on his shoulder. He's highly competitive. He plays the position of need for us. Downhill play, a forceful, impactful player. And then you look at what he does in the locker room for us when we have a younger group that is going to need some stability at times and some leadership both on and off the court. And Julius has won at a very, very high level. He understands where he is in his career… He's always had an impact on every team he's been on. And now coming back to Brooklyn, New York, where he's very familiar with, obviously, the borough and the city, this will be great for our group, great for our organization.”
“Something we've always done and sort of prided ourselves on with how we've built is not using up all your flexibility. Just making sure you have that, whether it's going into the season or throughout the summer,” Marks said. “When you're rebuilding a team like we have been the last couple of years, that's important. You just never know what's going to come your way. So for us to have that optionality will be really important. But at the same time, I like the roster we have. I love what I'm seeing out there. The guys are playing hard, they're playing the right way, and they're playing for each other. So I don't think we're in any immediate rush to do anything there from adding more pieces.”
Michael Scotto: Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks on Michael Porter Jr extension talks: “We’ll have those discussions. We’ve got time. There's no immediate hurry right now. We value him a lot. He had a terrific year.” “I love Mike, the guy, the person, the player, and I hope he is part of this team.”
Advertisement
“I don’t think they’re looking to lock themselves in to anything, as you would say, exorbitant and long-term,” Lewis explained. “I think Sean Marks, the GM, values flexibility above almost all things, and I think a shorter deal at a lower AAV would probably give them more flexibility, and that’s probably what they would prefer.”
Brian Lewis: Sean Marks on if #Nets falling to 6th in the draft will make them more active in trades: “Hard to tell. It’s all about how these guys develop. I don’t think you want to make rash decisions before you’ve seen how they look.”
So his international basketball cred is active and this week he went on Fullcourt Passport, a podcast focused on the NBA’s wider world, taking questions from Boki Nachbar, the former Net and Euroleague player, and veteran NBA writer Ric Bucher. His big take: the globalization of NBA has dramatically changed the sport from scouting to ownership. “You and I were playing, there were 40, 50 maybe foreign players. And now you look around and I think a quarter of the league is foreign,” he told Nachbar.“ (It’s actually more, about a third.) Of course, it’s not just about percentages. The league, Marks said, is changing in a lot of ways, particularly in places like teams’ scouting departments. coaching offices and development systems. “The NBA has completely embraced that,” Marks said, noting that the league cannot ignore any possibility, not when four international players have won the last seven MVP Awards. “The game has become so global and worldly. It is a copycat league, right? We are all trying to copy off who is doing something different and who has got the next greatest thing.”
He said that environment is reshaping how teams evaluate prospects. “We want players that want to win,” Marks said. “So you sit there and go, why did you move? Did you just move purely for the money or was it a role or was it the coach?” Marks closed by addressing NBA Europe and expansion, calling it “a heck of an opportunity” if done carefully. “The talent will rise,” he said, while stressing that the league must continue to respect the history and structure of basketball in Europe.
Advertisement
The Brooklyn Nets have signed head coach Jordi Fernandez and his entire coaching staff to multi-year contract extensions, sources told ESPN on Monday. Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks landed on the extensions with the staff this week, sources told ESPN, showing long-term commitment to Fernandez after two seasons at the helm.
Michael Scotto: Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks on signing head coach Jordi Fernandez and his entire coaching staff to multi-year extensions: “Jordi is a tremendous leader who, along with his coaching staff, put his stamp on this franchise from the moment he arrived in Brooklyn. Over his first two seasons, Jordi has built a strong foundation rooted in player development, a competitive spirit and honest communication, all of which have been embraced throughout our roster. The energy and passion the entire staff relentlessly pour into our players reverberates throughout the organization, and we are excited to have this group continue to lead our franchise into the future.”
Nets say they’ve signed HC Jordi Fernandez and his staff to multi-year extensions. After cycling through coaches in years before his hire, Nets landed a great young coach in Fernandez. “We are excited to have this group lead us into the future,” GM Sean Marks said in statement: pic.twitter.com/Sm2ptopPWE
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 20, 2026
Porter is entering the final year of a five-year contract in 2026-27, which would pay him nearly $41 million. Thus, the 27-year-old (turning 28 in June) is up for an extension, and fortunately for him, it comes after the best individual season of his NBA career, where he averaged 24/7/3 as a true first option. Marks admitted as much on Monday: “You look at his usage — it’s the highest it’s ever been. I don’t think anybody questioned whether he could shoot, but I think, could he be a number one option? And I think for us, he’s the number-one option. And I just enjoyed the person, I enjoyed being around him. I think he’s a fun-loving guy. He’s curious, as we all know.”